Writer Guidelines

Writer Guidelines: Opportunities for Contributors

Features

Read past issues of the magazine and visit the website to get a sense for our approach. We are looking for feature length essays on topics of interest to Nordic enthusiasts.

Destinations

Cross Country Skier provides readers with in-depth descriptions of ski resorts, trail systems and winter vacation destinations in North America. The stories should give the reader a sense of the area and accommodations. Describe the trail systems in terms of length, level of difficulty, terrain and supporting facilities. The article should include all pertinent contact information as well as relevant area information including dining and other diversions. Photographs of the destination must be available. Digital format (minimum 100 dpi) is required.

Hidden Gems

Each issue of the magazine will feature a local trail or resort deserving of greater recognition. These are generally smaller, out of the way ski areas that do not regularly make it into national media. The Hidden Gem profile should describe the location in several short paragraphs. Include tangible reasons why skiers should visit the trail. Provide pertinent contact information and photos.

Personality Profiles

There are many people involved in cross country skiing. Industry professionals, citizen racers, local ski club organizers and resort owners all have stories to tell.

Gear

Most of our equipment coverage is handled in-house. However, if you have a special angle that is more than a test or technical review, please submit a proposal.

From time to time, specific product categories will be compared and reviewed.

News

Most news items are handled in-house. If you have a newsworthy item, it may be considered as a short feature for our website.

Events

We regularly feature events of all kinds from around the country, from non-competitive tours to major ski marathons.

Web Content

We are constantly looking for good content for our website, as we wish to keep the content fresh and add new content on a regular basis. Short features, event profiles, local happenings and news will all be considered.

Publishing Calendar

Cross Country Skier is published monthly in October, November, and December and bi-monthly in January and February.
Our Content

Our readers are Nordic skiers. They are active enthusiasts who continually seek out information about ski trails, resorts, equipment, technique, competition and feature reports about cross country skiing.

We hope to establish relationships with freelance writers who demonstrate an understanding of cross country skiing and our readers’ interests.
Queries and Submissions

Send samples of your published work with your query. Include a SASE envelope if your samples must be returned. We are not responsible for unsolicited artwork, photographs and manuscripts, so please don’t send original documents and photographs that you can’t afford to lose.

Our editorial calendar for the magazine is usually established in January for the following season. Once it has been set, there is only a small amount of flexibility for additions.

Web content queries will be considered at any time.

Allow 6-8 weeks for replies. All queries should be sent to the editor at Cross Country Skier, 60 MAIN STREET, P.O. BOX 190
JEFFERSONVILLE, VT 05464 or via email at writer.guidelines@crosscountryskier.com .
Assignments and Compensation

Cross Country Skier assignments are made in writing usually in the form of an email that will specify payment amount, story length, payment terms, deadline and rights purchased.